Being under lockdown has been a huge impact for blogs and websites across the globe. Whilst sitting at home, people in their millions are listening to music and searching for new platforms to discover new music so there’s no better time to create an EPK.
The Electronic Press Kit will be one of the most important parts of an artist/band’s image (apart from your music) on presenting your music to get on blogs and websites. In this guide we’ll run down some of the dos and don’ts on building the perfect EPK.
What format should my EPK be?
This will be one of the most important documents you’ll have to show editors and music tastemakers you are prepared and ready to take on the world. Ideally it needs to be in PDF format, but a word document is sufficient. These are simple to produce and there are many ways to get creative to really make it your own. If you have a website, that’s even better! If you’re serious about your music then you need a website where you can share your latest news, music, merch and, of course, a hidden link for media representatives your find your EPK. That way your fanbase won’t see it on your site and in emails you can make it clear to the blog where they can access it. (Read Flashfires’ article here)
Flashfires have a website with all the topics we cover in this feature
Photos are crucial!
We, like many other blogs get incredibly frustrated when it comes to pictures. First of all, at least one press photos must be landscape! Every blog we know will needs a landscape photo for their featured image, if you only have portrait or square ones then it’s very likely it will be cropped to fit so whatever is in the background will go to waste and it may appear blurry (not good). I’m not saying they’re complete waste of space as they can always fit into the main bulk of the copy to add what we call ‘colour’.
Secondly, you don’t have to get a professional to take them. Yes, you will certainly get better quality but if you don’t have the budget, getting friends or family to take a high-quality photo with a digital camera or phone will do the job. (Read Fossway’s article here)
A recent EPK from indie band Fossway with a high-quality press photo
What should I write in my EPK?
Include a bio about yourself, it’s incredibly important, especially if you’re a new artist, to build a connection with your audience. Information like your names, what instruments you play, location, influences and how you formed are all equally important. Not only does it help build a connection with the blog you’re sending it to, but that way you are opening up to fans so they can get to know you too.
No one understands your music better than you do so it’s incredibly important to tell us what your single, EP or LP means to you. Talk about the songwriting process, how your style and influences effect your music, if you’re talking about certain issues – discuss them. You can never be too descriptive. Adding a quote is also helpful as sometimes you might be asked for one anyway, so it saves time in advance as well.
Very creative from The Lutras with all the relevant info included
Social media is king!
It’s pretty obvious – add links to all of your social media accounts and music links. Social media is ultimately king and where you’ll get noticed. We’ve come across it too many times where a band doesn’t have either a Facebook, Twitter or Instagram account. We cannot stress enough how important it is to have all three – especially Instagram. More young people are moving to Instagram which is where you need to be sharing content the most, but having Facebook and Twitter is still widely used – especially by blogs and websites. (Read Stay Lunar’s article here)
Stay Lunar band members and links to socials
Have you got a music video?
Create an EPK around your music video if you have one which is another good way to promote your music. Content across the board is becoming more visual so create a DIY video and have some fun whilst promoting your music. If you’re holding a video back for another release date, keep it in but make sure it’s a private link and clearly state in your press release when your embargo is lifted.
Your email subject makes all the difference!
This might be the last thing on your mind but this is the first thing a blog will see after you hit that send button. The ideal subject length is 50 characters to ensure it’s fully visible. We’d prefer it if you added your genre in the header because PR companies inundate us, and many other sites, with RnB, Rap and all sorts of genres that aren’t related to their specific niche just so they can say they ‘tried their best’. But that’s a conversation for another time.
To stand out in the dozens of emails a day, include something along the lines of ‘ICM shares dreamy alt-pop single ‘EPK’, ‘Indie pop artist EPK shares new track ‘EPK’ or ‘EPK’ the debut indie rock album from London’s ICM’. That way it’s super easy to read and we know what, you and your email is about.
Things to void are using ALL CAPS and unwarranted words such as ‘brand new’ and ‘out now’. It’s just unnecessary as we already know that it either is or soon-to-be released. Other things we’ve seen that you shouldn’t do are: ‘Request for blog name’s assistance with press coverage’, ‘Track title’ out today, ‘Band name – Track title’ and the use of emojis – sometimes they will be recognised as spam/junk mail.
Don’t forget that your creativity is key! Think about how you want to be portrayed as an artist/band and include anything anything that will make yourself stick out from the crowd. To create an EPK is quite straightforward and is something you will change and update as you progress in your music career.
We hope you enjoyed reading this, and if you like it we might make come more artist tip articles.
